The inter-institutional electronic exchange system (IKIR), based on Hungarian healthcare standards, connects 38 health care institutions and the participating general practitioners. The project aims to increase overall patient satisfaction and implement networked information technology systems to the healthcare sector in Hungary.
The new system, installed over a two year period, is expected to open up new possibilities for healthcare delivery in Hungary, such as Telemedicine and Teleradiology.
According to BT, one of the key benefits for patients is access to personal records at the point of care and no need for manual transfers of patient data, such as test results and x-ray images, between different health care providers in the regions of southern Transdanubia, northern Hungary and northern plain.
Services, such as appointment bookings, are now offered through IKIR, saving patients and doctors time and multiple phone calls.
Patients can register for IKIR access through the government’s Electronic Portal using its authentication technology which, together with the National Health Insurance’s identification system, provides for security and protects against unauthorized access.
Miklos Udvardy, director of Medical Institute at Debrecen Center for Medical and Health Sciences, said: IKIR represents the biggest single ICT investment into the healthcare in Hungary to date with possibility to distribute data throughout the healthcare system. Know-how and experience obtained during this implementation will provide for a solid foundation in the planned nationwide extension of the system.
